How organizations learn: models uncovering the black box

2019 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-23
Author(s):  
Shubham Sharma ◽  
Usha Lenka
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Black Box ◽  
Organizational Memory ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Retrospective View ◽  
Cause Of Failure ◽  
Environmental Shocks ◽  
Organizational Learning Mechanism

Purpose As contemporary organizations’ focus shifts from knowledge orientation to learning orientation, this paper aims to articulate the need for models that describe the learning process in organizations. Simply assuming that organizations learn without any support of tangible framework or models highlights this need. The paper presents limitations of two prevalent themes of organizational learning, i.e. learning by adapting to environmental disturbances and learning from organizational members. Design/methodology/approach Based on the literature review on organizational learning, studies that depict the mechanism of organizational learning were selected. These were grouped into two categories: one that focuses on how organizations learn from its environment and other on how organization learn from its members. Findings This paper suggests the need for developing models and frameworks that eloquently describe the learning process in organizations. The literature focuses on organizational learning from individuals and adapting to the environment. Organizations tend to attribute the cause of failure to environmental shocks. Then, instead of the environment being a source of learning, it becomes a cause of failure. If individuals are agents of organization through which the latter learns, how this tacit knowledge becomes institutionalized in organizational memory is unknown. Originality/value This paper is a retrospective view on organizational learning. It attempts to question the black box of organizational learning, i.e. how the learning of individuals is transferred to organizational memory, or simply put, how the organizational learning mechanism works. There is a dearth of studies that address this question, and it has been simply assumed that somehow organizations do learn, but how?

Human resource outsourcing: the impact on organizational learning

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peeyush Pandey
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Research Articles ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Human Resource Outsourcing ◽  
Learning Capabilities ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The construct of Organizational Learning has been studied through various perspectives but still there is a dearth of literature on how the organization’s outsourcing activities impact the learning process, specifically human resource outsourcing. This paper intends to link these two concepts. Design/methodology/approach Several research articles related to Organizational learning and outsourcing have been read and reviewed. Based on the understanding from the literature the insights are summarised and discussed. Findings This paper demonstrates linkage between organizational learning and human resource outsourcing by putting forth the impact human resource outsourcing can have on organizational learning from both positive and negative lenses. Originality/value Not many studies have established the linkage between two important constructs- Organizational Learning and Human Resource Outsourcing. This paper intends to bridge this gap in the literature by highlighting both positive and negative aspects of HR Outsourcing on the learning capabilities of the organizations.

Overcoming counter-knowledge through telemedicine communication technologies

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 730-745 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jorge Cegarra-Sanchez ◽  
Juan-Gabriel Cegarra-Navarro ◽  
Anthony Wensley ◽  
Jose Diaz Manzano
Keyword(s):  
Learning Process ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Communication Technologies ◽  
Regional Hospital ◽  
Potential Contribution ◽  
Exploration And Exploitation ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Knowledge acquired from sources of unverified information such as gossip, partial truths or lies, in this paper it is termed as “counter-knowledge.” The purpose of this paper is to explore this topic through an exploration of the links between a Hospital-in-the-Home Units (HHUs) learning process (LP), counter-knowledge, and the utilization of communication technologies. The following two questions are addressed: Does the reduction of counter-knowledge result in the utilization of communication technologies? Does the development of counter-knowledge hinder the LP? Design/methodology/approach This paper examines the relevance of communication technologies to the exploration and exploitation of knowledge for 252 patients of a (HHU) within a Spanish regional hospital. The data collected was analyzed using the PLS-Graph. Findings To HHU managers, this study offers a set of guidelines to assist in their gaining an understanding of the role of counter-knowledge in organizational LPs and the potential contribution of communication technologies. Our findings support the proposition that the negative effects of counter-knowledge can be mitigated by using communication technologies. Originality/value It is argued in this paper that counter-knowledge may play a variety of different roles in the implementation of LPs. Specifically, the assignment of communication technologies to homecare units has given them the means to filter counter-knowledge and prevent users from any possible problems caused by such counter-knowledge.

scholarly journals Ambidexterity and organizational learning: revisiting and reconnecting the literatures

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 337-351 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob Brix
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Absorptive Capacity ◽  
Empirical Data ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Organizational Ambidexterity ◽  
Exploration And Exploitation ◽  
Seminal Paper ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Model ◽  
Multiple Levels

PurposeThe purpose of the study is to investigate how the processes of exploration and exploitation have developed in parallel in the literature of organizational ambidexterity and organizational learning, since James March published his seminal paper in 1991. The goal of the paper is to provide a synthesis of exploration and exploitation based on the two areas of literature.Design/methodology/approachThe study is conceptual and no empirical data have been used.FindingsThe study advances current understanding of exploration and exploitation by building a new model for organizational ambidexterity that takes into account multiple levels of learning, perspectives from absorptive capacity and inter-organizational learning.Originality/valueThe study’s novelty lies in the creation and discussion of a synthesis of exploration and exploitation stemming from organizational ambidexterity and organizational learning.

On dialectics in theorizing: the contingent nature of organizational learning

2020 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 957-968
Author(s):  
Norman Meisinger
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Core ◽  
The Past ◽  
Conceptual Study

Purpose During the past decades, numerous contributions to organizational learning have emerged. However, these theories are plagued by the same paradoxical core that prevents organizational learning from being unambiguously determined or stably located throughout the entire organization and its individuals. The purpose of this paper is to understand how researchers approach this issue. Design/methodology/approach Through a meta-lens, this conceptual study observes how researchers are taming the paradox of organizational learning, referring exclusively to the theories that deal with its inherent paradox. Findings The author distinguishes fundamentally different theorizing strategies. Therefore, the paper aims not to sharpen the elusive and fuzzy nature of organizational learning but to sharpen the elusive understanding that its nature is fuzzy. As a consequence, the study further emphasizes how challenging an instrumental use of the academic construct of organizational learning for practicing managers outside research laboratories is. Originality/value The paper contributes (first) to the core understanding of the inherently conflicting construct of organizational learning by (second) uncovering the dialectics of the theories concerning it – the former only becomes feasible as a result of the latter.

Application for online conferences and meetings

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mochammad Rifai ◽  
Devi Fitrianah
Keyword(s):  
Software Development ◽  
Web Application ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Black Box ◽  
Process Validation ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Registration Process ◽  
Testing Method ◽  
Black Box Testing ◽  
The Web

Purpose This study aims to support an institution to hold an online meeting or conference in the middle of social distancing, which is currently in effect. Design/methodology/approach In developing this application, rapid application design methodology is used. The implementation used HTML5 and PHP for the Web and MySQL for the database and Agora Software Development Kit. To evaluate the application, the authors had a black box testing method. Findings This application will support the participant registration process, validation, payment, providing a link to the workshop to the participant, token and room name to be able to join an online meeting or conference up to the process of giving a digital attendance certificate to participants or members participating in it. Originality/value An integrated Web application provides full services, starting from the registration process, payment, the conference meeting itself and certificate of attendance.

Organizations and Learning Process

2009 ◽  
pp. 236-253
Author(s):  
Weiling Ke ◽  
Kwok Kee Wei
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Learning Process ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Organizational Memory ◽  
Comparative Case Study ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Implementation Outcomes ◽  
Acquisition Information ◽  
Implementation Context ◽  
Information Interpretation

This chapter uses organizational learning as a lens to study how firms implement the enterprise system. The core research questions are: What are the critical organizational factors affecting organizational learning in ES implementation? How do these elements shape the learning process and thereby influence ES implementation outcomes? To address these questions, we conducted comparative case study with two organizations that have recently adopted ES and achieved significantly different results. Based on the empirical findings, we propose a framework that describes how organizational factors affect the four constructs of organizational learning in ES implementation context — knowledge acquisition, information distribution, information interpretation and organizational memory.

scholarly journals Organizing for inter-organizational learning in service networks

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 276-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Paul Peronard ◽  
Jacob Brix
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Network Performance ◽  
Allocation Of Resources ◽  
Learning Context ◽  
Service Networks ◽  
Service Network ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Learning Challenges ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose The purpose of this study is to consolidate existing research on ‘service networks’ and to frame this literature as a new ‘context for learning’. Research from inter-organizational learning is used to qualify this consolidation and advances from inter-organizational learning are used to operationalize how service network actors in this new context can organize for inter-organizational learning to create more value for themselves and their customers. Design/methodology/approach By conceptualizing the learning context of a service network and the interrelated dimensions, an overview of the learning challenges for improved service performance is provided. Findings Inspired by the service triangle, the proposed framework highlights the learning challenges among two or more actors and the knowledge and skills needed for them to organize the service network. To build a collaboration characterized by trust, behaviors associated with transparency and receptivity are argued to be imperative. Practical implications The framework can increase the opportunities for inter-organizational learning in a service network. Knowing the learning context and the challenges associated with this learning allows for a more accurate intervention and allocation of resources to improve service network performance. Originality/value The novelty lies in the consolidation of the literature of service networks and the extension of the literature on inter-organizational learning hereto.

New learning and old learning

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (6) ◽  
pp. 21-23
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Learning Organization ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Reading Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Management Processes ◽  
New Learning ◽  
Pertinent Information ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This paper aims to review the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoint practical implications from cutting-edge research and case studies. Design/methodology/approach This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds his/her own impartial comments and places the articles in context. Findings Organizational learning is one of those themes that everyone within a firm can get on board with. It sounds important and logical, and no one is going to argue against organizational learning, are they? Once the HR department declares your firm a “learning organization” and ensures that knowledge management processes are updated, new training is rolled out and mentoring introduced across hierarchies, everyone will be happy in the knowledge that they are now part of a learning organization. Practical implications This paper provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world’s leading organizations. Originality/value The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy-to-digest format.

scholarly journals “Reinventing the wheel over and over again”. Organizational learning, memory and forgetting in doing diversity work

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 379-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marieke van den Brink
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Change ◽  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Collective Memory ◽  
Social Practice ◽  
Individual Learning ◽  
Organizational Memory ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Longitudinal Case Study ◽  
Linear Processes ◽  
Content Type

PurposeOne of the urgent questions in the field of diversity is the knowledge about effective diversity practices. This paper aims to advance our knowledge on organizational change toward diversity by combining concepts from diversity studies and organizational learning.Design/methodology/approachBy employing a social practice approach to organizational learning, the author will be able to go beyond individual learning experiences of diversity practices but see how members negotiate the diversity knowledge and how they integrate their new knowledge in their day-to-day organizational norms and practices. The analysis draws on data collected during a longitudinal case study in a financial service organization in the Netherlands.FindingsThis study showed how collective learning practices took place but were insufficiently anchored in a collective memory. Change agents have the task to build “new” memory on diversity policies and gender inequality as well as to use organizational memory to enable diversity policies and practices to be implemented. The inability to create a community of practice impeded the change agenda.Research limitations/implicationsFuture research could expand our knowledge on collective memory of knowledge on diversity further and focus on the way employees make use of this memory while doing diversity.Practical implicationsThe current literature often tends to analyze the effectiveness of diversity practices as linear processes, which is insufficient to capture the complexity of a change process characterized with layers of negotiated and politicized forms of access to resources. The author would argue for more future work on nonlinear and process-based perspectives on organizational change.Originality/valueThe contribution is to the literature on diversity practices by showing how the lack of collective memory to “store” individual learning in the organization has proven to be a major problem in the management of diversity.

Firm exporting and investment in exploratory and exploitative R&D

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Ke ◽  
Marios Kafouros ◽  
Haifeng Yan
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Learning ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Generalized Least Squares ◽  
Learning Opportunities ◽  
Significant Positive Effect ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Different Types ◽  
D Investment ◽  
Positive Effect ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose This study aims to investigate how firms’ internationalization activities through exporting influence their organizational learning. Specifically, this study examines how the level of exporting and geographic market scope impact a firm’s exploratory and exploitative R&D investment differently. Design/methodology/approach Using a sample of 7,055 firms in Spain during the period 2006–2011, the study uses regression analysis (generalized least squares random effects) to test various hypotheses. Findings Although exporting improves organizational learning, learning opportunities vary for different aspects of exporting. Specifically, the level of a firm’s exporting has a significant positive effect on its exploitative R&D investment, whereas geographic market scope of a firm increases its exploratory R&D investment. Practical implications The findings can aid in shaping policies and firms’ decisions pertaining to exporting and exploratory and exploitative R&D investment. As the findings indicate that, the determinants of exploratory and exploitative R&D investment are different, managers and policymakers, who aim at a specific type of R&D investment, should understand which exporting strategy they should pursue. Originality/value Prior research suggests that exporting improves organizational learning. This study extends this knowledge by showing that different aspects of exporting, specifically, the level of exporting and geographic market scope, drive different types of organizational learning.

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